Baby arrives in Manchester

[Go-arounder]

EGCC from the 1st May with another base to be announced shortly!

Baby Web Site say

Manchester confirmed as new North of England bmibaby base - bmibaby set for major expansion in 2003 - 50 new jobs likely to be created


bmibaby is to increase the number of bases it has in the UK with the introduction of low cost flights from Manchester Airport. Services from Manchester will commence on the 1st May. The new base is likely to create at least 50 new positions in the North West of England.

The airline is also pleased to announce that, as a range of options have emerged, it expects shortly to be announcing another UK base, which is set to double the number of UK bases that bmibaby currently operates from.

bmibaby, which started operations less than twelve months ago, has been looking to build on its position as a growing force in the low cost market and has been reviewing a number of options for a third UK base. This follows the successful introduction in 2002 of low cost flights from East Midlands Airport and Cardiff International. However, the rapid growth and success of bmibaby have given the airline the confidence to invest in a further two bases, as well as additional aircraft to its fleet.

Destinations to be served, by the first two bmibaby aircraft to be based at Manchester, will be revealed by Tony Davis, managing director of bmibaby, at a press conference at 10.00am at the airport on Monday 17 February 2003. Seats will also go on sale at this time with Internet fares starting from just £12.50 one way. However, the airline has already indicated that Belfast International Airport will feature as one of the destinations to be served.

Tony Davis, managing director of bmibaby said:
"Our announcement today is an expression of the confidence we have in the future growth and development of bmibaby. We will be the only low cost airline to have bases at all three of these important airports. Our geographical reach now embraces a wide range of locations across the UK. As well as our head office in the Midlands and bases at East Midlands Airport, Cardiff and Manchester, we have recently opened up a national call centre in Glasgow that has created 40 new jobs. The new base is likely to create a further 50 new flying positions. Consolidation in the UK of low cost airlines now means that bmibaby is the UK's second biggest low cost carrier and we are rapidly becoming a major force in the European low cost market.

"We are very pleased to announce today that our new base is Manchester and we look forward to a good working relationship with our new airport partner."

[no, no, no]

They've already confirmed Belfast will be one of the routes when they bmi conslidated their LHR operations. Bet BA are realy looking forward to that one.........

They've also confirmed that the other bmi routes (EDI, GLA, LHR, ABZ & TLS) will not be effected by this.......

Its about time MAN got some real low-cost flights instead of the supposed Liverpool operation ofered by easy.......

[Powerjet1]

Good news for MAN. Bournemouth must be the leading contender for the proposed 4th base following the buzz/ryanair saga with possibly LTN in second place. although a little bird tells me that the latter may be based more on fiction than fact.

[Buster the Bear]

As baby opened a base in Wales, I would imagine both the airline and the airport operator are rather well known to each other.

Next base has to be EGHH as it part of the EGCC airport group (with EGNJ to follow?), but half its catchment area is in the sea. Harp's obviously thought that the Buzz base was a non starter post acquisition!

If you want to seriously fill your planes on a daily basis you must be near a large conurbation.


http://community.the-underdogs.org/smiley/misc/crying.gif

[saddles]

Mr no no no, are you suggesting Easyjets ops out of Liverpool are not low cost please explain, as i might have to race up the M56 for some real low cost on Babys two tired 737s.

[no, no, no]

Mr Saddles,

I am suggesting that bmibaby are at last providing the people of Manchester with their own low-cost service, rather than expect them to have to travel for while to reach easy flights.

Manchester being one of the largest cities in the UK deserves it's own low-cost operation (especially when you consider the amount Prestwick, London, Leeds, East Midlands and Bristol/Cardiff have) and baby have provided them with what they are after - they will truly be the low-cost operation for the North-West!!

the service levels on baby are also primed more for the business traveller than easy, just like Go used to be until easy wiped them out!!

[Tiger]

I`m not too sure why BA isn`t going to like BFS-LHR with Baby operating the route when BA don`t even fly the service.

And again crews and staff will be stitched up with T&C and pay.

[no, no, no]

I was referring to the fact that when bmi announced the other day they were cancelling LHRBFS and consolidating to LHRBHD, they also announced that bmibaby would operate BFS as one of the destinations from the new base - thus they will be operating MAN-BFS, in direct competition with BA's MAN-BHD service.... that is what they will not like...............:rolleyes: :rolleyes:

[dwlpl]

'Manchester being one of the largest cities in the UK'

FYI, some population figures for 2001 (to the nearest ,000) for the northern half of the UK:

Aberdeen = 212k
Bradford = 468k
Chester = 118k
Edinburgh = 449k
Glasgow = 579k
Leeds = 715k
Liverpool = 439k
Manchester = 393k
Middlesborough = 135k
Newcastle = 260k
Sheffield = 513k
Derby/Leicester/Nottingham (combined) = 769k

[U/S President]

So both Leeds and Bradford have bigger populations that Manchester? :eek:

Who do you work for: Jet2? :p

[no, no, no]

if you take in to account the greater regions (from the 01 census):

West Midlands (BHX, CVT, Dudley etc) 2,554
Greater Manchester (incl Trafford, Salford, Wigan etc) 2,483k
West Yorkshire (Leeds, Bradford etc) 2,080k
Merseyside (LPL, St Helens etc) 1,318k
Other Lancs (Burnley, Lancaster) 1,135k
Tyne & Wear (NCL) 1,076k
Notts 1,016k
Derbys 957k
Leics 890k

People don't just fly if you live in the actual city centre Mr dwlpl!!

[dundoniandean]

.....Monarch Scheduled to Malaga and Alicante 2x daily each, Palma daily and Faro daily (starting 1st May - lesser freq's at the moment to all but PMI).

It's not just low cost, there's a damn good service onboard too. MAN may now have a no-frills carrier with a base there but low cost isn't so new to MAN. :rolleyes:

[saddles]

No no no are easyjet not a truely low cost operater in the Northwest, and the people who dont live in Manchester have had 30plus yrs of plodding up and down the M56, also why does Manchester deserve its own low cost can they not travel down the M56, does every have to revolve around Manchester, after all there is more to the Northwest .

[dwlpl]

no, no, no,

1) I posted the totals without comment using your criteria of 'Manchester being one of the largest cities in the UK'. The figures are Government figures for the population of said towns/cities.


2) I agree in what you say 'that is what they will not like.'. I know of five BA staff spread among all levels at BA at MAN and they all agree that much rumoured bmi baby basing at MAN could well bring BA route closures from there.

Out of its current network, taking out the two bases at EMA and CWL, bmi baby fly to 24 cities. Out of those twenty four, BA fly to twelve (including new ones for summer 03) of them from MAN. With bmi baby not going, obviously, to compete with bmi, from MAN, they will target BA routes. So what will be the future of the routes bearing in mind that BA have already stated that loss making routes will be cut.

As dundoniandean points out another four are flown by Monarch from MAN. This will then leave DUB, PRG, SZG, BCN, IBZ and MJV out of the twenty four without scheduled service from MAN.




U/S President,

It appears so.